


Something Final

by rolypoly_panda



Category: The Umbrella Academy (TV)
Genre: Angst, Blood and Injury, Brotherly Bonding, Car Accidents, Concussions, Diego Hargreeves Whump, Gen, Hurt Diego Hargreeves, Hurt Klaus Hargreeves, Hurt Number Five | The Boy, Hurt/Comfort, Injury, Klaus Hargreeves Needs A Hug, Klaus Hargreeves Whump, Major Character Injury, Nobody Dies, Number Five | The Boy Whump, Protective Diego Hargreeves, Protective Klaus Hargreeves, Protective Number Five | The Boy, Vomiting, Whump, and they all need protecting from the world, but man is it gonna hurt, dumb dumber and dumbass get in a car crash, five just kinda hangs out, these boys are so dumb
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-25
Updated: 2020-09-25
Packaged: 2021-03-07 17:27:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,378
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26601367
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rolypoly_panda/pseuds/rolypoly_panda
Summary: A pointless, exhausting trip into the middle of nowhere leads to a rather stupid decision between the three of them: why not let Klaus try driving on the straightaways?Or, Diego, Five, and Klaus get in a car crash, it's almost night, and nobody is okay...
Relationships: Diego Hargreeves & Klaus Hargreeves, Number Five | The Boy & Diego Hargreeves, Number Five | The Boy & Klaus Hargreeves
Comments: 12
Kudos: 389





	Something Final

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Jameena](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jameena/gifts).



> All copyright content doesn't belong to me. All characters belong to Gerard Way and Netflix.

At the click of the pump, Diego wrestled the rusty gas nozzle free and hooked it back onto the dispenser. He hung his head as he wrangled his wallet from his pocket.

Thirty-nine dollars.

It hadn't seemed like much, but the thirty-nine here on top of the thirty-two from hours prior, and _an additional_ full tank at fifty-seven when they had first left...

_Jesus_ , Diego was going broke.

Five's parading-around-the-city habit was draining him dry. The old bastard would host an escapade without even bothering to check his level, always in search of a new lead, or the next victim of the Commission or, more often than not, his nearest "decent cup of coffee". Allison had insisted that he be careful, that driving around as a kid was bad, but driving around as a kid on an empty tank was even worse, _especially_ at night. Perhaps Five had forgotten that, regardless of his mental age, he still _looked_ thirteen.

His prompt response had been, "I'm an _assassin_ " before blinking away.

So, Diego paid for gas not only out of necessity, but also to make sure the little shit hadn't gotten himself mugged. He knew Five could handle most fights himself - he had _seen it_ firsthand - but one bad day, one hour too many awake on a sleepless night...

Diego didn't want to think about it.

He jammed his card into the pump's slot and stared at the cyclical loading symbol on the screen with a deepening impatience. "So tell me this..." A muscle in his cheek twitched. His body grew hot, but he swallowed it down. "Five's driving, and not paying for gas," His card was accepted. Diego ripped it free. "And Klaus ain't paying _or_ driving." He whipped around. "But _I've_ got to pay _and_ drive?"

Five, from where he was leaning against the driver's door, raised his chin to Diego. He glared at him with a propped eyebrow before scoffing out, "Ever heard of Child Labor Laws, Diego?" His smile was infectious, but in the most passive-aggressive of ways. "Stop bitching, pay the gas, and get in. We've only got an hour left." Five pushed off the car.

Behind him, Klaus was half-in, half-out of the passenger's seat. He fiddled with the radio, a lit cigarette idly smoking between his lips.

"Okay, _okay_ , I get _that_ ," Diego tossed a gesture at Klaus. "But he's just a waste of space at this point, man..."

Klaus' head snapped up. " _Hey!_ "

Five snorted. "Would _you_ employ him?" At Diego's hesitation, he said, "Exactly."

Through the driver's window, Diego saw Klaus give a half-hearted shrug of agreement.

"He should still have to chip in. Somehow." he mumbled.

Diego matched Five, folding his arms across his chest and glaring inside the car at Klaus, watching as he played with the radio's volume. Klaus frowned at them. "What...?" He jerked the volume knob harshly. Through the shower of static, a grainy song could be heard, though Diego wasn't sure what it was or who was singing it. It sounded more like a satanic chanting to his ears, but Klaus leaned back into the passenger's seat and sighed out, "Ah, a classic..."

Five, at his side, rolled his eyes. "Okay," He nudged Diego's side with his shoulder. Diego loosened his arms, dropping them to the side. He opened his mouth to ask what Five was doing when Five unceremoniously dropped the keys into his hand. He said, "Let's go, princess. The car won't drive itself."

Diego rolled his head back with a groan.

Some of the stars were already out. A handful blinked down at him, faint white dots winking against the darkening blue backdrop behind them. The sun was setting to his right, drawing a curtain of purplish-red sky down with it. Luckily, it had been a full moon. And luckily, Five was right: there was only an hour left in the drive.

However, an hour was still sixty minutes, still thirty-six-hundred-something minutes...

It wasn't that Diego didn't trust himself to fall asleep at the wheel; he was a vigilante, used to fighting crime at the latest hours of the night, even through his exhaustion. But after hours of driving, of searching for Five's mysterious lead, after _quite literally_ chasing an innocent man into the forest under the pretense that he could stop the apocalypse, Diego's body wouldn't stop shaking. He could feel the weariness building in him, a pull that acted like his own personal gravity, dragging him into himself as it demanded he sleep, he rest, he do anything _but_ drive for an hour.

Sure, it wasn't the most demanding of tasks, but his concentration was already slipping. The last thing he needed was to get them all killed in a fiery explosion because he couldn't keep his goddamn eyes focused on the road.

Five was equally as tired, he knew. The guy had split the drive with him, taking opposite hours with Diego and, undoubtedly, running on empty, just as Diego had been. Diego slept, and ate, and was religious about his self-care because he knew he wouldn't last long on starvation or exhaustion. But Five never seemed to care. If Diego were being truthful, it almost seemed to him that Five was living _solely_ for the apocalypse.

Not for _after_.

"Hey! Diego!" Five was standing at the back door. The dark bruises under his eyes made him look old. Tired. _Sick_ , almost. "Suck it up, buttercup," He yanked the door open. "Last stretch. Then you can sulk in your mancave _all_ you want." Five flashed him a squirrely little smirk and slipped into the back, pointedly slamming the door shut before Diego could respond.

Diego rolled his eyes.

The bastard...

"This is bullshit." He pulled his door open, dropped it, and shoved the keys into the ignition. The ratty car roared to life.

Klaus squeaked. He fumbled to herd his colorful cardigan inside before he closed his door. Leaning over, Klaus jammed the face of his cigarette into a blackened spot on the center console, mixing old ashes with new and letting loose a line of sour smelling smoke.

Diego choked. "Fuck, man, that's disgusting."

"Sure is!" Klaus messed with the radio again.

Being so far out into the middle of nowhere, Diego didn't expect a good signal to come through to their dad's old car; it likely never would, what with the giant pine forest completely surrounding them. Yet, that fact didn't make the fuzzy screaming coming through any more tolerable...

Diego punched the 'off' button on the radio.

Klaus frowned. "I was _listening_ to that."

"And _I_ don't care." he hissed. "It was annoying."

From the back, Five sighed, "Less talking, more driving."

Diego flipped around.

Leaned back, with his arms folded up behind his head, and his legs crisscrossed and propped up on the opposite windowsill, Five looked a picture of serenity. His breaths were even and his eyes were closed.

Now he was just rubbing it in Diego's face.

They were both so _goddamn_ tired but, when Diego was taking his turn for a break, Klaus had ran his mouth the entire time. There was no reason, but Five hadn't tried to stop him. So Diego had stayed awake through it all.

But _Five_ , the son of a bitch, looked about ready to take a nap.

"Hey! _Five!_ " Diego snarled. Five cracked his eyes open. " _I'm_ the one driving. _I_ make the rules, now!"

It was surprisingly horrifying to watch Five's eyes narrow by just a margin, _just_ at the corners. He looked like a thirteen-year-old school boy, but his eyes were old, were _hauntingly_ old and unfathomably tired, weighing heavy past the baby face and smooth green of his irises, and Diego felt a tightness in his muscles as Five ground out, " _Drive_."

Diego turned back around. "This is crap." He stabbed a finger at Klaus. "You _better_ pay me back for _once_ in your goddamn life!"

Klaus feigned shock, pressing a delicate hand to his chest. "Diego _darling_ , if you wanted me to pay you back, you should have just asked. I'm _exceptional_ at swing-suspended blow j--"

"Fuck off!" Diego yanked the gear into 'drive'. He peeled away from the gas pump with a slam to the gas.

Klaus shrieked, " _Wait wait wait!_ "

Diego slammed on the break. The car jerked forward. Five made an exasperated sound behind them. " _Jesus_ _!_ " Diego turned to him. " _What?_ "

Klaus turned to Diego with wide eyes. "I have an idea!"

Five mumbled, "Start driving or I'll light the car on fire and leave you two to walk." It was as empty as it sounded, Diego knew; Five was just as tapped out of energy as Diego was. He doubted the little rat was teleporting anywhere anytime soon...

Diego leaned forward a bit. " _And...?_ "

"Let me drive!" Klaus threw his hands out and smiled, as if it were the best idea of the twenty-first century.

Five grumbled, "Absolutely not."

"Aw hell no, man!" Diego said simultaneously.

"No, no, _seriously_ ," Klaus gestured out the windshield. "We're in the middle of nowhere! And this way, you can _both_ sleep and I can pay you back this way, right?"

"No." Five said.

Klaus turned to him, perching himself on the back of the seat. "Five, you're always telling me I should learn how to drive. Well, this is it! I'll learn! Here and now!"

Five repeated, deeper, " _No._ "

Klaus shrieked something. Diego wasn't paying attention. Instead, he tapped the steering wheel with his thumb. He worried his lip as he thought. Thought through it, through the idea, because it wasn't exactly the _worst_ thing to come tumbling out of Klaus' mouth.

His brother was right. They really _were_ in the middle of nowhere. Surrounded by forest and on normally long stretches of road, with the only civilization being _this_ current gas station, Diego doubted they would get caught by any cops. Besides, if handing Klaus the keys allowed him for even half-an-hour of shuteye, Diego would take it. And despite Klaus and Five bickering about it beside him, Diego's body was acting as if they had already agreed. He could feel himself sinking further into his seat, could feel his eyelids growing thicker with exhaustion.

"Hey, Five," Diego cut someone - likely Klaus - off. He didn't turn around, but caught Five's glower in the rearview. "Let's let him drive."

"Are you serious?" Klaus blinked owlishly over at him.

Five held his stare. "You're shitting me."

"No _pe_." Diego popped the 'p' as he slowly moved to turn and face Five. "It's not night yet. And it's mostly straight roads. What's half-an-hour?"

"It _was_ mostly straight roads, you moron." Five pushed himself upright. His arms shook. Diego frowned. Five continued, "There were dozens of blind corners at the beginning. I _know_ , I _drove it_ while you were shooting the shit in the back."

Diego couldn't argue back. Five was right. He _had_ been dozing off in the back for the first hour-or-so of the drive.

"It's not happening." Five took a deep breath. "Now shut up and start driving."

"Come _on!_ " Klaus whined. It was grating to Diego's ears. "I'll be careful! I promise! I can _do this_ , Five! Trust me!"

Five glared at Klaus with a look that was about as far from trusting as Diego had ever seen in a man. His stare screamed frustration, and wariness, and Diego had half-expected him to follow through with his 'lighting the car on fire' threat from earlier.

Instead, he reached over and kicked open the back door. "I'm taking the passenger's seat." he ordered. "And you will listen to _everything_ I say. Got it?"

"Yes sir!" Klaus flopped around and tumbled out of the car.

Diego's brain struggled for a second.

Five said yes.

And he was taking the front seat.

Which meant Diego had the back.

_Again_.

Diego jerked the car into 'park' and popped out. "Fine by me!" He scooted to the back as Five shifted up and Klaus rounded in front of the headlights. They all slammed their doors in unison.

"All right. I'm only saying it once so listen up." Five said.

In the driver's seat, Klaus nodded eagerly.

Diego stretched out. He shimmied to lean back against the door, stretching his aching knees, his tense calves thanking him. Waves of sleep were already washing over him, flooding a bone-deep weariness from his toes to the crown of his head. Diego closed his eyes.

Five's quiet voice filled the car. "Gas is on the right. Break is on the left. Shift is here..."

He was being dragged under. _Fast._ Diego felt his eyes rolling up despite them being shut. He sagged into himself and sighed. While it wasn't the comfort of his own bed, the cushion of the car door digging into his back would have to do.

And do, it _would_.

Holy _shit_ , he was so tired...

"Headlights, here." There was a tap. "And I hope you're smart enough to know the difference between the speedometer and the tank level."

Diego snorted under his breath.

As if Five ever paid attention to either...

"Speed limit's fifty, so keep it there." Five said.

Klaus made a sound. "Okay, got it, got it. I'm good."

Diego's pulse slowed. His head tipped back. Finally, after hours of fixing on the road, of driving, of trying to hunt down Five's stupid lead and chasing the bastard into the middle of the _goddamn woods,_ finally he could sleep--

"Put on your seatbelt, Diego.

Diego's eyes opened. Five was twisted around, staring mutely at him.

He dragged his hand up and around and jerked the belt down. Diego strapped it awkwardly around his torso. When it clicked, Five turned back to face the front. He began again, "Take it slow."

Diego closed his eyes once more.

How was Five still awake?

Maybe it was his youth. Diego doubted that a fifty-eight year old body would treat him as well as a thirteen-year-old one would. As much of a hot-shit assassin he was, it likely wasn't easy dragging around old, apocalypse-riddled bones, right? Or was Five always so immune to sleep and hunger?

Or maybe Diego was just going flat, like a soda. He was losing his fizz, his pop, his sizzling sound that he had made when someone had first opened him...

The car was moving.

Diego didn't remember feeling Klaus ease onto the gas, nor did he remember hearing Five say anything about it. Was Klaus just that good? Or was _he_ just that tired? Sleep sounded like such a brilliant idea, and with the hum of the engine, the thrum of the car on the road, Diego could already feel himself drifting off.

Five said something like, "...don't swerve...be careful..."

Klaus responded under his breath.

Diego didn't focus on it. Instead, he teetered on the precipice of sleep. Drifting and waxing and waning, reaching a consensus with himself that it was, indeed, time to pass the hell out and leave Klaus and Five to do all the heavy lifting. Five would babysit, and Klaus would drive, leaving him to sleep. _Finally._

When he lost time, he didn't mind.

He could _feel_ himself jumping in and out of consciousness, but he didn't care. Diego let it happen.

A beat, and Five softly said, "Slow down a bit."

A beat, and only the car engine was mumbling to him.

A beat, and there was silence.

A beat, and--

" _Klaus!_ "

Diego's eyes flew open.

The tired screamed.

His stomach flew into his throat and his heart dropped into his stomach as gravity gave way to a heavy roll, flipping him upside-down then rightside-up then back around again and again and _again_. Weightlessness followed for only a split second before Diego snapped forward against the belt strapped across his chest and he choked, sagging forward as the car slammed to a stop.

He couldn't breathe.

Diego wheezed. His lungs tightened. He blinked through the initial shock, the panic, the _pain_ as he gulped air and tried to just _breathe_.

Something clicked.

He sucked in a breath, shaking with the effort, before breaking into a coughing fit that stabbed his ribs. It sounded thick and concerning, even to his own ears, but he didn't taste blood, didn't smell it, either, so that was a positive. The last thing he needed was a punctured lung.

His belt was holding him upright, helping him to stand on the shattered glass of the back door opposite him. With buckled knees and weakening consciousness, Diego doubted he would even be _vertical_ without his seatbelt's involuntary assistance. He tipped his head forward to touch his chest, focusing on the inhale and the exhale, the in and the out, willing his body to overcome the adrenaline rush that was leaving him hot and cold at the same time.

Diego blinked.

What little he could see in the darkness was blurred.

First thing was first, had it gotten dark, or was his eyesight darkening? Diego couldn't tell. Either way, it wasn't good. One had implied that he had passed out for quite some time without even remembering doing so, and the other screamed some sort of brain damage that likely would be fatal with time...

Diego gently craned his neck, glancing above him and out the window above him. Trees stretched high above him, big bushy pines that tickled the sky as the wind ruffled their needles.

The sky was dark. Darker than before. Nearly all black.

So he _had_ passed out...

Diego let his head fall again.

From his angle, he couldn't see Klaus. All he could see was his arm, dangling limp and half-obscuring Five's curled-up form. Their airbags had gone off, cushioning the front and sides of the car in puffy nylon, but that had been unsettling to Diego.

Why?

He couldn't remember.

From what he could see in the near-darkness, Five's head had gotten a nasty crack. The airbags under the right side of his face spattered with blood, his fringe a darker shade of his normal deep brown. However, that hadn't amped his unease. He merely frowned at it.

Why, exactly, _was_ he so scared...

One thing Diego had learned as a kid was that, while head wounds were loud - with headaches and copious amounts of blood from tiny cuts - they weren't usually all too bad. As a child, he had once gotten smacked with a slab of wood. He and Luther had been bitching about something, and it had ended with Luther screaming and ripping a cabinet free, landing Diego on the ass, his head throbbing and blood everywhere. Grace had assured him he didn't even have a concussion; he had bled and bled and bled but nothing had come of it.

"That's the thing about bumps on your head," Grace had began. "They'll bleed a lot, but that's it. You'll bounce right back!"

Diego stiffened.

Kids.

They had been kids.

Just as Five was, now.

A kid.

Thirteen, to be exact. A small-for-his-height, lightweight-for-his-age type-of kid. One who was all bone, no meat, scrawny enough to be concerning. Thirteen, and had just gotten smacked with airbags at possibly up to two-hundred-miles per hour.

Diego wrestled to free himself. He cried out, "Klaus! God _damn--_ Klaus! Get up! _Fuck!_ "

Klaus made no move to rouse.

Nor did Five, for that matter.

He leaned back. His spine stretched as he fumbled for a knife. One came loose without a fight. Diego sawed through the belt as quickly as he could. His hands shook. His breath caught. He counted down the seconds as he cut through the material. Five. Four. Three--!

With a snap, the belt split and dropped him to his hands and knees.

While he could breathe better, it hurt more. A _lot_ more. Something in his chest caved in every time he exhaled, and the feeling of bone-on-bone left him nauseated.

But that didn't matter.

Not now.

Diego crawled forward, reaching around the passenger's seat and finding Five's shoulder. He hauled himself upright and over the side of the seat. Two trembling fingers found the pulse point under Five's jaw, and Diego felt himself deflate at the steady thrum he found there. Steady, if a bit fast, but strong.

"Five, hey," He grabbed handfuls of Five's blazer and guided him half onto his back against the sagging airbags. The head wound made itself known as a ragged gash above his right eyebrow, disappearing into his hairline. Diego's face scrunched up. Five wouldn't be able to see with the blood gluing his eye shut. Gently, Diego smeared the blood off his closed lid, holding his head still with the other hand. "Five. Wake up. _Hey_." Five didn't stir.

Above them, Klaus mumbled, "Mhm? Few more minutes..."

"Klaus." Diego glanced up. He couldn't trust himself to stand, not yet, so he said, firmly, " _Get up._ "

Klaus' eyebrows shot up, but his eyes remained closed. "Mh? Yeah?"

"Come on, man. _Get up_." Diego hissed through his teeth. He reached for Klaus' dangling hand and pulled lightly. " _Now._ "

Klaus startled awake. His head was tipped sideways with gravity, dribbling blood from his own head injury into his eyes. He blinked fast, sputtered, and mumbled, "The _hell..._?"

"Hey. Numbnuts!" Diego barked.

Klaus stared down at him, squinting. "What...? What happened?"

"A car crash." Anger pooled in Diego's stomach, then. "You crashed the _fucking car_ , man!"

Cold fear overcame Klaus' once soft expression. His eyes hardened as they flicked sideways, through the cracked windshield that was curled around a tree trunk, then back to them, to Five. "Is he--?"

"Breathing? Yeah." Diego made to stand. His ribs groaned. He swallowed back vomit. "You could've killed us all. The _fuck_ were you thinking?"

Klaus' breath caught. "I panicked! There was a deer and I didn't know what to do so I just swerved! I'm so sorry, I didn't--!"

"Just, _stop._ " Diego held up his hand.

Klaus' mouth snapped shut.

Under his hands, Five's face twitched. Diego turned in time to watch his eyes flutter open as he swallowed a pinched-off gasp. He didn't move, but merely glanced between Diego and Klaus.

"Hey, man," Diego sucked in a breath. He teetered. Fuzziness blurred the corners of his vision with every inhale. Keeping them shallow, Diego took another breath, then another, then asked, "How you holding up? You with us?"

With how Five's eyes were rolling around in his head, Diego doubted he would be conscious for long. It looked like a struggle even grind out, "Th'fuck happ'n'ed?"

Above, Klaus stifled a sob. Poorly. Diego heard it clear as day. He kept his eyes fixed on Five as he said, "Doesn't matter. You okay?"

Five hummed. He closed his eyes. 

Klaus began, "Diego..."

"Five?" Diego ignored Klaus. "Hey, man, stay with me--"

"B'quiet..." Five grumbled. He peeled his eyes open once again. "Get m'up..." His hands fumbled for Diego's wrists, then up to his sleeves. Gripping tight, Five began to haul himself upright. The belt caught him before he could get far. He dropped back with a gasp. "F-Fuck..."

"Hold on, hold on. Let me just--" Diego grabbed for his knife again. He cut through Five's belt but, even as he was freed, Five sat still, blinking sluggishly up at Klaus, or perhaps past him. Perhaps he was zoning out. "Five?"

Above, Klaus said, harder, " _Diego..._ "

"What?" Diego whipped around.

Klaus swallowed thickly. "I feel sick." He wagged his hands at them. "Clear the runway! Clear the runway!"

"Shit!" Five scrambled underneath him. He grabbed Diego and Diego grabbed him, hauling them both back over the passenger's seat. They flopped in a puddle of uncoordinated limbs atop the cracked backseat window.

After a beat, Klaus choked out a watery, "Huh. Uh, never mind."

Five was very awake and startlingly alert for how he looked only moments prior. Diego had a hand on his back, propping him up, as he pulled himself up and leaned against the seats for support. "Are you _shitting me?_ " Five spat.

"I thought I was going to puke!" Klaus cried. His breaths stuttered. Diego's stomach curled. The guy was _actually_ crying. "I'm so sorry! I honestly thought I was going to throw up! God, I'm _so sorry_ , I'm the worst! I know!"

"Shut up!" A wheeze rattled through Five's chest. He drew in his next breath with an unconcealed wince. "Just--" Five coughed once, curled over himself, and went quiet.

Diego leaned in. "Hey, Five?"

In the dark, he could barely make out Five squeezing his hands into fists. Bright blue light lit up the inside of the car, only for a second. Then, he turned to Diego. "I've got enough juice to jump us, I think." He was already reaching for Klaus' dangling hand when Diego grabbed his arm.

"Hey! _Hey!_ Slow down!" Five sneered at him when he grabbed Five's shoulder. "Are you okay?"

Five shook his head. "I'm _fine_ , Diego. We need to get out of here. Now."

Diego agreed. It was already dark, and they weren't sure how far they tumbled. What with their injuries, and hardly any people on the road, the longer they waited, the worst their chances of survival would be.

But he couldn't just let Five blink them and risk himself.

"Did you break anything?" Diego prodded. "Dizzy? Lightheaded? Anything?"

Five grabbed Klaus' hand forcefully. His fist found Diego's jacket before he could pull away.

The air slipped from Diego's lungs as Five pulled them through the portal. It had only been a second, but he was breathless as he landed on his hands and knees outside the car. It had only been a second, but Diego felt as if he had ran a marathon. It had only been _one damn second_ , but when he shook away the haziness and the nausea he was startled by an armful of Five tipping sideways into him.

"Shit!" Diego managed to catch him and keep him from face-planting in the mud, but only just. He hauled Five into his lap and looked around.

They were outside, the smoking car mere inches behind them. Distantly, Diego wondered if that was as far as Five could travel with all of them. What if the old bastard had miscalculated? What if they had ended up clipped through the car's belly, half-in and half-out, their organs pulverized? What if--

Next to him, Klaus keeled over and vomited.

Between the two of them, Diego couldn't think. His head was reeling from the shock, his guts spinning from the jump...

"Klaus, you good?" Diego mumbled out. Five was heavy in his arms. Abnormally heavy. So much so, that he almost felt that he couldn't move. He sagged, breathing hard. " _Klaus_."

Klaus sputtered. "I'm good, 'm--" He swallowed thickly, nodding fast. "'m good."

"Good." Diego shifted Five, straining to roll him over. Once again, he was out, completely unresponsive as he was shifted. "Damnit, Five," He glanced up and into the surrounding darkness.

They looked to have rolled down a steep hill, leaving the guard rail snapped and ditches carved into the earth. When he turned back, Klaus was staring at Five, his lip sucked in-between his teeth and his eyes glittering in the night light. "Jesus, man," He hung his head. "This is all my fault. I shouldn't have swerved. I should have--"

"You're right." Diego interrupted. Klaus wilted. "But what's done is done. We're not the ones who can time travel..." 

In honesty, Diego was pissed. Klaus could have killed them all. He totaled their father's car and stranded them in the middle of nowhere. _But_ he wasn't stupid: he and Five should have never agreed to let him drive. Five had warned them, had warned _him_ that letting Klaus drive was risky.

This was his aftermath.

"Quit crying." Diego said as softly as possible. "It's not your fault. It just is what it is."

Klaus' throat worked as he struggled not to sob even more. Or perhaps he was trying not to vomit again. Diego wasn't sure, nor did he care at the moment.

What mattered most was getting to the road and finding help.

Their feelings could be mended later, and they could all discuss the events of the situation once they were in hospital and in recovery. With only a few working ribs between the three of them, and one already down for the count, they weren't as lucky as Diego would have liked. Sure, Five wasn't necessarily heavy, but he was one more thing to deal with. And Diego was _not_ looking forward to clambering up a muddy slope with a one-hundred pound deadweight on his throbbing back.

"You hurt?" Diego asked.

Klaus shook his head. "Not...Not really, no." He rubbed the back of his neck. "What happened to Five?"

"Don't know. Can you carry him?" Diego raised an eyebrow to Klaus.

After a moment of hesitation, Klaus nodded stiffly. "Y-Yeah, yeah. I can, I can. Here, let me--" He shifted, scooting closer to them. As soon as he was lined up, Diego saw blood blackening the back of his clothes, all the way down to where his tailbone was.

" _Jesus Christ,_ Klaus. What happened?" Diego's eyes snapped up. He couldn't hold back his disgusted expression. Disgusted, and shocked, and confused because why the _hell_ had Klaus not said anything?

But Klaus blinked up at him. His lips bubbled before he mumbled out, "I--What are you talking about?"

"You're _bleeding_. Klaus, you're fucking _bleeding_ , man." Diego turned Klaus by pushing on the back of his shoulder. He went pliantly, showing off the thin trail of blood stemming from the base of his skull. It looked dried, and whatever it was had luckily been a shallow gash, but it didn't look good.

The fact that Klaus couldn't even tell...

"Never mind," Diego maneuvered Five, pulling him up and over his shoulder as gently as he could. Broken ribs could be fixed, and so long as Diego didn't puncture one of Five's lungs, carrying him like a sack of potatoes was easier on his chest than a piggyback.

Klaus made to protest, sputtering out a string of nonsensical words as Diego stumbled to his feet. Five hung limp, his arms swaying with every unsteady step he made to adjust himself for the climb.

"What're you doing?" Klaus squinted up at them.

Diego shifted Five again. He was too damn scrawny, with his sharp angles biting into Diego's ribs and stomach and shoulder and _goddamnit,_ if Five weren't fucked up already, Diego would have thrown him because the whole situation was _stupid_.

He was tired.

_So_ tired.

Nonetheless, he extended a hand to Klaus. "Let's go. Come on."

Klaus reached up, his grip clammy and cold and as Diego hauled him to his feet, Klaus swayed, stumbling into Diego's side. He swallowed, swallowed again, then tipped and threw up nothing but stomach acid. Diego cringed away. He held Klaus up with a fist in the back of his cardigan.

"Sorry, sorry." Klaus waved a weak hand at him.

Diego shifted his grip, clapping Klaus on the shoulder and helping to pull him upright once more. "Quit apologizing. I mean it."

"Okay, sorry..." Klaus twisted around. He weathered at the sight of the hill. "I really fucked us up good, huh?"

"Nah." Diego shifted Five again, as gingerly as a he could. It bothered him that Five wasn't conscious yet, even with all the commotion he was causing. But he was breathing. He could feel that. And that's what mattered.

So long as everyone was breathing, Diego was fine.

He continued, "We shouldn't have said yes."

Together, they took a few steps forward, to the base of the hill. 

Klaus scoffed. It was a bitter, depressing little sound that reminded Diego of when they were kids. When Klaus would make that same sound after being caught for doing something self-destructive. When Klaus would make that same damn sound after Diego had lectured him to be safer, to be careful, to watch what he was doing because they had already lost one brother, and they didn't need to lose another.

It was that self-deprecating noise that Diego had become fine-tuned to. He knew it, he heard it, he recognized it, and he wanted nothing more to fix it.

But fixing Klaus' guilt and humiliation regarding the scene at hand was a gentle and slow-burning subject, Diego knew. It would take him a long time to overcome his fear, likely. Not that it should. Diego had fucked up plenty when driving. Sure, he hadn't totaled their father's vintage car and nearly gotten his brothers killed, but he _had_ made his fair share of mistakes.

Like, for instance, killing a deer.

He had the split-second moment to choose, just as Klaus did. Swerve, or stay straight.

Diego had kept going, hadn't stopped and had paid the price. But Klaus had pulled away. He had saved a life. Despite the circumstances, Diego had found it admirable. It had always been the case that, for the kid that could see dead people, he was awfully obsessed with the livelihood of others.

They were halfway up the hill when Klaus paused, his hands flat on his knees, and began spitting to the ground.

"You good?" Diego could barely get the words out. His ribs were throbbing, his body giving up quickly. Like an ache after a workout, liquid fire streamlined through his veins and muscles and bones, burning everything in their path with every step. Stopping was worse. He wasn't sure if he would want to start back up again.

But if Klaus could, he could, too.

Klaus nodded jerkily. "Mhm. Just...J--"

More stomach acid. Mostly dry-heaving.

Diego frowned. He scooted closer, inch by inch so as not to fall out of exhaustion, and gently patted Klaus' back. Klaus nodded to him, then spit some more, then coughed up nothing but air. It looked as painful as it sounded, but Diego was willing to bet it was two-fold the agony if Klaus' ribs were bruised or broken, too.

"Deep breaths, man," he ushered.

Klaus nodded. "I'm good. Just need...need a second..."

Diego hummed in understanding.

A sound overlapped his own.

He froze, head whipping up.

It was distant, but it _was_ there.

The rush of tires on pavement, of rubber on rocky roads...

A _car_.

Klaus must have heard it too, because he was staring up at Diego, slack-jawed and speechless.

Diego grabbed his arm. " _Come on!_ "

They scurried up the hill, tumbling over their numb legs as they went. Headlights illuminated the wrenched-up guard rail like a light from the heavens and Diego practically wept as he crawled up the hill. He couldn't breathe, he couldn't see, he couldn't even _think_ but he didn't need to because he was almost there, just a few more steps, just _one more_ \--

Something in his chest snapped.

Diego cried out.

The car narrowly avoided hitting him. It skidded to a stop with a scream.

Diego dropped to his knees. Five almost tumbled from his grip. He must have blacked out, because a woman was pulling Five from off his shoulder, saying something that Diego couldn't quite make out. He said, "where's Klaus" a few times - he could feel his lips making the movements - but he couldn't hear his own voice. Not over the rush of his heartbeat, over the roar of adrenaline in his veins. 

With a deep breath, Diego passed out.

With another breath, he could hear an ambulance's cries, could feel the paramedic's gloves on his skin.

With one more breath, he was opening his eyes to the sterile white hospital room. The walls were white, as were the floors, the blankets, the doors, and, apparently, the pajamas. Five was leaning against the footboard to his bed with a twisted scowl on his face. "Morning, sunshine." He turned to glance out the windows. "Or, afternoon, actually. Afternoon, almost twenty-four hours later, to be exact."

Diego blinked.

Where was Klaus?

What had _happened?_

"You passed out." Five said. Diego frowned. He couldn't even feel his own lips moving; they must have given him something _good_. "Carrying me, no less. Apparently you broke your sternum, on top of other things."

Diego croaked, "Wh-Where's--?"

"Klaus?" Five's eyebrow popped up. "He left already. Got a good bump to the head, a concussion. But he's fine. _We're_ the ones stuck in here. _Well_ ," With a shrug, he continued. "Allison'll get us out. But she's staggering us so we don't all leave at once. Too suspicious and all that."

Silence fell between them.

"Hey, Five," Diego began. His lips were chapped and his voice was wrecked. He cringed. "Uh, uh... _Klaus_ , he--Klaus was upset. _Really_ upset. Said...some things, I don't know..."

"I know." Five looked Diego over lazily. "We already talked."

Diego hummed. "You did?"

"Yeah." Five pushed off the backboard with a wince. He made to bring a bandage-wrapped hand to his ribs. It fell before he could touch the fabric of the hospital pajamas. "You two should talk. _Later._ When the world isn't at stake."

"Sure." Diego nodded.

"Good." He looked to Diego for a moment, glancing him over with an expression that looked as if it were trying to mask his disbelief. Perhaps he, too, was still in shock. He had been unconscious for most of it, but his surprise was equally as valid.

They were _alive._

They made it.

Five said, "Take a few more hours. Allison will be in to get you out soon." With that, he was gone in a flash of blue.

Diego sagged into his bed.

It almost felt unreal to be alive and relatively okay. He had been the last to recover, it seemed. The last to recover, but meaning that Klaus and Five were fine. Five had _looked_ fine. Well enough to teleport, and Klaus was well enough to leave, to get discharged without threat of dying or further injuring himself.

It was a reassurance Diego didn't know he needed.

He would mend his relationship with Klaus in time. Just as his broken bones would heal in the given weeks.

Diego relaxed. He let his eyes close and his breathing smooth out and, for the first time in a long time, he was out within seconds.

**Author's Note:**

> 😏
> 
> Hit me up on [tumblr](https://itty-bitty-rampaging-committee.tumblr.com/) where I make gifs and uhhhh shitpost. Prodigal Son, Umbrella Academy, and NBC Hannibal galore idk.
> 
> Apologies if the ending seems weak. I got...tired. Sorry. But I hope you enjoyed nonetheless! My bad for errors, I never beta and just kind-of go for it!


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